11..
06:42 a.m. – Ethan's Apartment, Downtown - Next Day
The first light of dawn crept in slow through the glass balcony doors, painting golden streaks across the floor. The city outside had begun to hum softly—airbikes thrumming in the distance, delivery drones slicing the early morning sky.
Inside, the room was a cocoon of warmth and skin.
Sienna stirred first.
Still tangled in the white sheets, her bare shoulder peeked from beneath the covers. Her legs were intertwined with Ethan's, her fingers resting lightly against his chest. She blinked slowly, taking in the quiet rise and fall of his breathing. His face, so often unreadable, now looked younger in sleep—unguarded. Peaceful.
And then, he opened his eyes.
"…You watching me sleep, stalker?" he murmured, voice still rough from sleep.
Sienna smirked, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "Just checking if these nights were dreams."
"It wasn't." He stretched an arm behind his head. "Though I wouldn't blame you for thinking it. I've been known to have that effect."
She rolled her eyes. "There it is. Cocky Ethan returns."
"Balance is important," he said, lips twitching.
She leaned in, their noses nearly touching. "You're different in the morning."
"How so?"
"Softer." She smiled. "Less world-on-your-shoulders, more... you."
Ethan didn't reply immediately. Instead, he traced his fingers down the bare line of her spine, watching the way her body responded in tiny shivers.
"I never let anyone stay," he admitted. "Until you."
(I'm not doing this , for fun! She is beautiful,and valuable asset in future.... Seduction and Manipulation was important....)
She blinked, startled by the honesty. "Why me?"
"Because you never asked me to be someone else," he said simply. "You just looked at the wreck and stayed."
Sienna lowered her head, pressing her forehead to his. "Maybe I'm a wreck too."
"Then we're perfectly ruined together."
---
Breakfast & Teasing
They eventually climbed out of bed—though not without a fair amount of kissing, giggling, and a heated detour on the kitchen counter that almost resulted in a broken plate.
Sienna wore one of his black T-shirts, which hung low over her thighs. Ethan made coffee, shirtless, leaning against the counter like he was starring in a casual morning ad campaign.
She sat on the stool, sipping from his oversized mug.
"So… what now?" she asked, voice gentler than before.
Ethan looked up from his coffee. "Now? We eat. You shower. I drive you home with landlady's car.Then you pretend you weren't totally into me."
She grinned. "Tempting. But I might actually tell everyone I spent the nights with the city's most emotionally unavailable tactical genius."
"I am not emotionally unavailable."
"You flinched when I said 'feelings' yesterday."
"I was adjusting my jaw."
"You were choking on emotional vulnerability."
He gave her a deadpan look. "You're going to be a nightmare, aren't you?"
Sienna stood, walking over to him and looping her arms around his neck.
"Only if you're lucky."
---
~The Return of Blake
10:03 a.m. – Outside Sienna's Apartment
Ethan had just dropped her off, sharing one last kiss in the car that left both of them grinning like teenagers.
But as she stepped into the building's lobby, her smile faded.
Because standing near the elevator... was Blake.
Clean-cut, tall, and wearing that familiar half-smile he'd always reserved for her. The one that used to make her feel like she was the center of the room.
"Sienna," he said with easy confidence. "Been a while."
Her breath caught.
And the afterglow of her night with Ethan turned into a flicker of confusion.
"What… What are you doing here?"
"I'm in here for the Dev Summit. Just wanted to meet my lucky charm." His eyes raked over her in a way that felt both nostalgic and invasive. "I was hoping we could catch up."
Sienna hesitated.
Blake was her almost. The guy who made promises with his eyes but always hesitated with his actions. The one who left her on 'maybe' for far too long.
And now he was back. On the same day she'd finally moved forward.
"Now's not a good time," she said firmly.
Blake's smile didn't falter. "You look different, Sienna."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you're glowing. Like someone finally figured out how to treat you right." His tone was teasing. But there was an edge.
Sienna forced a smile. "Maybe someone did."
---
Back in Ethan's Apartment – Meanwhile
Ethan stood at the sink, washing out the mugs.
But something was off.
The stillness around him felt louder. His phone buzzed with notifications from the board. Investors pushing for a revised timeline. A sudden drop in their stock due to rumors of an AI leak.
He ran a hand through his hair, jaw tightening.
Then, without warning, a memory surfaced.
Blake.
From years ago. The charming bastard who used to talk like he owned the room. The one Sienna once cried over at 2 a.m.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
He didn't believe in coincidence.
And as he glanced at the reflection of himself in the mirror—half dressed, half exposed, muscular lean body with a handsome face ,heart half-opened—he whispered:
(Let's see how deep this past wants to dig.)